Sediment transport capacity performance assessment based on a RUSLE and sediment delivery ratio model-article one

Surface soil erosion occurs when soil, rocks, and sediments are exposed to the atmosphere and pushed over time by natural forces such as rainfall, wind, and gravity. Surface erosion in high highland locations has resulted in sediment accumulation and an increase in catchment water levels. It has also lowered water quality and had a negative impact on the marine ecology. The Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model and sediment delivery ratio (SDR) equation were used in this study to compute and analyse the spatial distribution of soil erosion and sediment yield (SY) in the Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia (UPNM) catchment. In order to finalise the soil erosion map, input parameters such as soil erosivity (R), soil erodibility (K), slope length and steepness (LS), land cover (C), and land management practises (P) were developed using ArcGlS. The SY was then computed by merging the final soil erosion map with the SDR equation. The results reveal that soil erosion in the UPNM catchment ranges from 0 to 0.9507 t/ha/year in 2016 and from 0 to 0.3338 t/ha/year in 2021. While the SY distribution in 2016 and 2021 ranged from 0 to 0.3993 t/ha/year, respectively. Furthermore, the very high erosion contributes around 20% in the research area. Overall, the results present the spatial distribution of soil erosion and SY in UPNM catchment. As a result, our study proposes immediate attention to soil and water conservation initiatives in heavily degraded areas particularly in the UPNM catchment.